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In late December, the U.S. House passed a last-minute rider that was attached to the omnibus government spending bill, which impacts the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), set to begin Jan. 1.
“Many of you have asked if this makes EISA 2007 as it relates to light bulbs obsolete,” comments Larry Lauck, VP/Communications for the American Lighting Association (ALA). “It does not. The law is still the law. Quite simply, the rider states that the Dept. of Energy may not use any of its funding to enforce the incandescent light bulb standards. “
Lauck explains that all of the major light bulb manufacturers have stated that they will proceed as if nothing has changed. “However, this rider is problematic for numerous reasons,” he states.
- American manufacturers have already invested millions of dollars in transitioning to energy-efficient lighting as a result of the EISA 2007 provision. Any delay in enforcement will undermine those investments and create regulatory uncertainty.
- The inability of the Department of Energy to enforce the standards will allow “bad actors” to sell their non-compliant products in the U.S. without fear of enforcement, creating a competitive disadvantage for compliant manufacturers.
- Even if DOE does not have the funds to enforce the standards, EISA 2007 gave each state attorney general the ability to enforce. A lack of DOE enforcement will create consumer confusion due to a patchwork of state standards enforcement and place manufacturers in an intolerable position due to uneven and potentially unpredictable enforcement.
“For the reasons noted above, the ALA, along with NEMA, does not support the rider,” Lauck remarks. For more information, contact the American Lighting Association at (800) 60-LIGHT
